A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a group of people you count on to:
guide you in your learning
be your source of advice and resources
make you aware of learning opportunities
share their best practices
point you to answers and support
This concept of a PLN has been around for many years. What has changed in recent years though is the reach, the size and the availability of that network.
The look of a PLN has changed. From
your colleagues in the building you work in
a cherished personal mentor
professional development opportunities offered sporadically throughout the year
conferences
college credit classes taken for re-certification
to:
Blogs
RSS Readers
Twitter
Nings
Skype
Podcasts
Wikis
Developing Your PLN - Professional Learning Network
Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are all about using web tools such as blogs, wikis, twitter, facebook, and delicious to create connections with others that extends our learning while enabling us to learn together as part of a global community. PLNs increase our opportunities to ask questions and receive help from colleagues and other experts in the field. Setting up your PLN and referring to it often is one of the best tips I can give you to stay on the cutting edge of educational technology and librarianship. As you can see in this chart, there are many, many ways to keep up with your professional network. Some of these tools will be explored on this page; others may be explored in other pages of our wiki, and others you may explore on your own when you have time. The best part of your PLN is --> it's personal! You make all the choices: What tools you use! Who you connect with! How you want to learn! When you want to learn!
However, for the purposes of our course, I will structure how you will set up your PLN and who you should connect with. Once that is established, you are free to add other tools and other people to your PLN.
What is a Social Network?
"Online social networks are communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most services are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today's society. Various social networking websites are being used by millions of people everyday on a regular basis and it now seems that social networking is a part of everyday life." (Wikipedia)
Because schools generally employ only one or two professional school library media specialists, many school library media specialists often feel isolated. Social networks can provide professional contacts, dialogs, collaboration and relationships.
PLN CHALLENGE:
Join and explore the following professional learning networks:
Go to and look around at theTLVirtual Cafe Wiki - it is one of the best resources for learning from fellow superstar librarians like Joyce Valenza and others. They have many webinars during the year that are just fantastic. Feel free to, but not required, to put a badge on your blog: go to this Flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/sets/72157622671864807/with/6545187953/ and grab one.
What is a PLN?
From: Chad Lehman'sCopy of Network Building: Web Presence, Twitter, Nings, & Things! on Prezi
http://buildyourpln.wikispaces.com/
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, a teacher and Educational Consultant, defined PLN's in an exceptional way. I asked if I could share her thoughts and she graciously agreed. She states:
A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a group of people you count on to:
This concept of a PLN has been around for many years. What has changed in recent years though is the reach, the size and the availability of that network.
The look of a PLN has changed.
From
- your colleagues in the building you work in
- a cherished personal mentor
- professional development opportunities offered sporadically throughout the year
- conferences
- college credit classes taken for re-certification
to:Developing Your PLN - Professional Learning Network
Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are all about using web tools such as blogs, wikis, twitter, facebook, and delicious to create connections with others that extends our learning while enabling us to learn together as part of a global community. PLNs increase our opportunities to ask questions and receive help from colleagues and other experts in the field. Setting up your PLN and referring to it often is one of the best tips I can give you to stay on the cutting edge of educational technology and librarianship. As you can see in this chart, there are many, many ways to keep up with your professional network. Some of these tools will be explored on this page; others may be explored in other pages of our wiki, and others you may explore on your own when you have time.The best part of your PLN is --> it's personal! You make all the choices:
What tools you use!
Who you connect with!
How you want to learn!
When you want to learn!
However, for the purposes of our course, I will structure how you will set up your PLN and who you should connect with. Once that is established, you are free to add other tools and other people to your PLN.
What is a Social Network?
"Online social networks are communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most services are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today's society. Various social networking websites are being used by millions of people everyday on a regular basis and it now seems that social networking is a part of everyday life." (Wikipedia)
Because schools generally employ only one or two professional school library media specialists, many school library media specialists often feel isolated. Social networks can provide professional contacts, dialogs, collaboration and relationships.
PLN CHALLENGE:
Join and explore the following professional learning networks:- it is one of the best resources for learning from fellow superstar librarians like Joyce Valenza and others. They have many webinars during the year that are just fantastic. Feel free to, but not required, to put a badge on your blog: go to this Flickr site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/sets/72157622671864807/with/6545187953/ and grab one.